roll call in the morning we had many tunes that we played and beat as the "Troop."

There was a challenge given to box upon the part of one bully, and accepted upon the part of another. The combatants were James Reed, of the 1st brigade, and Andrew Travis of the 2d brigade. They fought by permission of their officers. They met upon a flat piece of ground below the forts. They chose their seconds and judges, who established certain rules or regulations, by which they were to be governed in the fight; among them, this one, that they were not to strike each other in the face. A large ring was formed by the large body of soldiers which had assembled to witness the fight. The combatants then entered the ring and commenced the fight. They began about 10 o'clock, A. M., and fought hard, giving each other most tremendous hard knocks. During the fight, they sat down to rest four or five times, and each time they partook of refreshments. After resting in this way, they would "go at it again." They appeared to be very equally matched, both stout, both strong and vigorous, and full of ambitious metal. I suppose they knocked each other down full twenty times. This fight lasted until near 3 o'clock, P. M. Up to that hour it could not be told which was the best or most likely to bear away the palm of victory. Travis at length was forced to yield to Reed, who, although not much of a better man, proved himself to be the best man of the two upon that occasion.

After the fight ended, those that were of our brigade, with Reed returned to camp wearing the laurels of victory. To say the least of these kind of fights, they are of no benefit to society, and ought to be discountenanced, and laws rigidly enforced upon all parties offending or likely to offend, ere such unhappy, unprofitable, brutal, and barbarous meetings should take place.

Sometime after this, there was a misunderstanding took place between Captain Steake and a Captain Smith. There was a challenge to fight a duel sent and accepted. Smith was an Irishman, and was called the Irish

As soon

beauty, from his being a remarkably handsome man.— On the morning of the day upon which they fought, we were waiting for the morning gun to fire. The moment we could perceive the flash at all times, we commenced to beat the Reveille. As soon as the morning gun was fired, we commenced beating the Reveille. Whilst we were thus engaged our Drum-Major said to us, "Huzza, · boys, rattle it off," and we can see Captain Steake and Captain Smith fight a duel this morning. The parties were just at that moment going out to the field. as we had done playing and beating the Reveille, we started and ran speedily, but we were out of time, for just as we were getting within sight of where they were, we heard the report of Captain Steake's pistol. His ball had struck his antagonist in his right shoulder, causing his right arm and hand to fall down helpless or powerless at his side, and of course his pistol fell also.Steake's ball had taken effect so quick, that Smith's pistol remained undischarged. This was enough for Captain Smith at this time. Captain Steake was a good shot. I have known him to fight several duels, and never knew him miss his fire once, his balls always took ef fect. It was said that this or the one he fought afterwards, was the seventh duel he had fought. I don't recollect of any of his shots ever proving fatal. Captain Steake was my Captain when I was finally discharged. He was a brave man. Of this, there was not a single doubt, although he committed this folly, which made him no braver. "Duelling by some is called brave and honorable. It is sacrificing at a false shrine. It is no evidence of bravery, nor yet of honor in any man. brave and honorable men, men who have unhesitatingly condemned the practice, have fought and fell.. It is brave (it is said,) but it is more brave to possess moral courage enough to brave popular opinion than it is to fight, and the full current of opinion will soonor or later be the deserved plaudit for him that intrenches himself behind his own rights, and acts upon the defensive. It is true, a man may have done his friend a wrong. Let

Yet

him not persist in that wrong, two wrongs never made a right. Let him do that which ought to be any man's glory. If he has done his friend a wrong, let him in the full flow of a manly soul acknowledge it. No man ever went to death a brave man as a duellist, who possessed so little a nature as not to acknowledge (if wrong he did) that he did an injustice. Reason is dethroned in such. Reason and Justice have been brilliantly decorated suasive handmaidens of Bravery in all ages. I have seen as brave men as ever fought in defence of home, country or friends, that detested the unrighteous, cowardly and murderous practice of duelling in their inmost souls, and I cannot express myself more appropriately relative to duelling, than has the poet relative to him that commits suicide, for he that rushes unnecessarily to death in a duel, is as much a suicidist in one sense, as he that rushes by his own hand uncalled into the presence of an angry God.”—Hanna's Glory of Columbia.

"When all the blandishments of life are gone

The coward sneaks to death, and the brave lives on.

دو

I was detached to a place once during the Revolution, which was called "The Hundred Acres.' It was perhaps that section of Delaware county now called "Old Hundred." Whilst I laid at this place, there was a very unfortunate and solemn affair transpired there.There were two officers, a Second Colonel and a Major, that were candidates for promotion to the post of First Colonel. The Major succeeded to the office of First Colonel, and a high dispute arose between them, and a challenge to fight a duel was given and accepted. They met upon the field of death, and tossed up to determine which should have the first fire. The Major (elected Colonel) won the great and decided advantage, and they took their stations. The distance that they were

apart was but ten steps. The regulation was that each one when it should be his turn to fire, was to stand with his back to the other, and at the word fire was to wheel and fire. The Colonel received the word, wheeled and

fired, and his antagonist fell mortally wounded. The Colonel then stepped up to him and asked him if he would be reconciled to him, expressing at the same time, his regret that the affair had gone on until it had terminated so fatally. The Second Colonel determined (although in a dying state) to have his shot. The First Colonel then stepped off ten paces to his post, and turning himself around, bared his breast by pulling his shirtbosom apart with both hands, and said "in the name of God, fire." The Second Colonel was then bolstered up by his second and other officers, raised his pistol as far as he was able and fired, but not having strength to hold it high enough, the bullet struck the ground before it reached to where the First Colonel stood. The Second Colonel died immediately after he had discharged his pistol. This duel caused a great deal of talk, both among the soldiers and among the citizens. Some applauded the deceased officer for his "spunk," and others the living one for his honor, which he had backed by so brave a contempt of death, prepared as he seemed to be, to await in a cool and deliberate manner the hand of death truly raised against him.

Seconds and others professing to be friends of parties arrayed thus angrily against each other, are highly censurable, and ought to be held culpable. For most assuredly, in nine cases out of ten, they might bring about a reconciliation, and avert such awful consequences as are attendant upon duelling.

There came to camp one day an old man and old woman with their family consisting of 24 children. The old people must have been nearly 80 years old. The eldest child I think was a daughter, and walked next to the two old people, and each of the rest according to his or her age from the eldest to the youngest. After they entered the encampment, they walked down and up the parade ground before the soldiers and in the order I have described; the soldiers ran, out of curiosity to see them, as they had come for the purpose of getting some help, most of the officers and some of the

soldiers (that had money and they were few) gave them something. It was said, that General Washington gave a considerable sum of money to them. I do not recollect whether they presented any other claim than their poverty and novelty of appearance. I had never seen such a family previous, but I have since. I had a brother-in-law of the name of John Cochell, who was married to my first wife's sister and who lived in Berks' county, Pa., about 5 miles below Reading whose family consisted (at one time when my wife and myself were there on a visit) of 24 or 25 children, his wife however had five or six times twins at a birth.

When we lay 4 or 5 miles from (I think it must have been the) Passaic Falls, in Jersey (although it is possible that it was near to Trenton Falls in York state) the soldiers went frequently to see the falls, and then a great curiosity which was not far from the falls.There was a poor family that had in it a son, who was said to be upwards of thirty years old, I went with some soldiers to see him, and beheld the most wonderful sight that I ever did behold in all my life. his body was "chunkey" and about the size of a healthy boy of ten or twelve years old and he laid in a kind of cradle, but his head (although shaped like to a human head,) was like a flour barrel in size, and it was common for one soldier to describe to others by comparing it to a flour barrel. It had to be lifted about (the body could not support it) whenever and wherever it had to be moved to. His senses appeared to be good, and it was usual for us to say "he can talk like a lawyer." He would talk to every person that visited him. All the soldiers that visited him and that had any money, would always give him something. It was said that General Washington when he went to see him gave his father the sum of four or five hundred dollars as a present to aid in his support, Although I have here attempted a description of his person and appearance, it beggered every description I can give, as no person can conceive truly his appearance but those that seen him.